NATO Officials Want More Troops For Afghanistan

Published: September 10, 2006

Senior military officials from NATO's 26 nations agreed Saturday that they needed more troops and fewer limitations on the use of their forces to step up the fight against insurgents in the violent south of Afghanistan.

No firm pledges of extra troops were announced after two days of talks in Warsaw, but NATO officials said the military leaders had agreed to consult with their capitals about sending reinforcements to tackle fiercer-than-expected resistance from Taliban rebels and other insurgents.

NATO planners have said they want 2,000 to 2,500 extra troops, plus helicopters and transport aircraft, to fuel the offensive in the south.

''Our collective assessment is that we are satisfied with military-related progress to date, particularly in the north and in the west but less so in the south,'' Gen. Ray Henault, a Canadian who was chairman of the talks, said at a news conference.

Asked whether the military officials had specifically discussed how many troops to send, General Henault said, ''I can't give you the exact number, but the chiefs of defense are very aware of requirements.''

''Raising the number of troops will be a political decision,'' he added.

He said the leaders also agreed to review the specific restrictions imposed by individual NATO nations on what their troops could do.